Two Texas Women Convicted Of Hiding Kidnapped Boy For Eight Years

The two Texas women who were accused of kidnapping eight year old Miguel Morin have been found guilty. Miguel Morin, who was kidnapped when he was just an infant, has found justice.

ABC News is reporting that it took the jury just two hours to return guilty verdicts for Krystle Tanner and her mother, Gloria Walker. Tanner was Morin’s baby sitter when he was a baby, and, after the kidnapping, the two women hid the boy for eight years.

Boston.com reported that Walker was found guilty of kidnapping and injury to a child. Tanner was found guilty of the less severe, reckless injury of a child.

The injury to a child convictions stem from prosecutors detailing a level of neglect the women demonstrated while they were hiding him. Tanner and Walker allegedly refused to give Morin medicine he needed several times over the eight year period.

The defense counsel argued that this was not a case of kidnapping at all. Tanner and Walker alleged that the boy’s mother sold Morin to them and pointed to the fact that she never cooperated with police during the investigation.

Walker also claimed that she had very little contact with the boy because she was dealing with her own health issues. Tanner contradicted her mother’s testimony, claiming that Walker spent the majority of the time with the boy.

Tanner also claimed that she never knew that the boy was considered kidnapped or that anyone was ever looking for him. Prosecutors say the two Texas women’s story doesn’t add up.

District Attorney Kevin Dutton touched on their inaction and neglect in his closing argument, saying:

“If Ms. Walker and Ms. Tanner had a right to little Miguel, why wasn’t he in school? Why didn’t you get the rest of his immunizations? Why didn’t you take him to the dentist? They knew they didn’t have that right. They knew they couldn’t put that baby out in the public eye.”